Results for: freshman year

Moving away from home, having no rules and being on your own: sounds like heaven, right? That’s what I thought when I decided to move away from southern California to the Bay Area for school at CSU East Bay. Soon I found out that I was right—at least partially. I had a blast my first year until I started to miss my family. You see, I have two younger brothers that I started to miss, a mom that would cook amazing Mexican food, and a dad that always knew what to say.

The first quarter was the hardest time. I missed my mom’s home-cooked meals and instead cooked for myself or ate a cup of noodles. I had to learn to sleep well before class and I had to adjust to working so I could afford to have a social life. In other words, I was completely on my own.

It was a huge change, but I definitely needed the experience. Being on my own made me grow and mature. When you are getting ready to graduate from college—which might be a bit far off—and you look back on your time in college as time to have grown as a person, you will be so excited and ready to move on to the next chapter of your life. Yes, you might get scared, and you might be lonely from time to time, but that’s the beauty about growing up: You overcome these obstacles and find ways to comfort yourself or find support in those around you.

I promise you: you will never experience another year of school as exciting as your freshman year for so many reasons, not just being on your own away from your family.

P.S.: Once you leave, your family always spoils you whenever you come home to visit. Good luck!

My freshman year was the most amazing year of my life. It’s when I met friends that I’ll keep forever. It’s when I figured out how to balance those friends and school life. College is not like high school. It requires a lot of self-motivation and discipline. Most people get the hang of it but some take advantage of the freedom you get and don’t do so well. Just learn how to create a balance of both fun and work. You can’t have too much of either but you definitely need both.

The summer before you attend a university as an incoming freshman, you will attend orientation. This summer I am an Orientation Leader and I am currently preparing for this summer’s first orientation along with 17 other wonderful Orientation Leaders. Looking back, I remember I was very nervous going to my orientation because I did not know what to expect, but being on the other side of the situation is completely different. I’m so excited to meet my freshmen! Our orientation staff looks forward to this huge event with anticipation and we work so hard to make it a success! If you will be attending orientation soon, know that this program is designed to make you feel welcome, deliver workshops that will assist in your success, and ensure you have a fun, safe experience!